XIT HISTORICAL MUSEUM

The history of this ranch is forever tied to the history of Texas. In the late 1880s, the XIT Ranch was the largest in the world, covering just over 12,340 ^square miles. To enclose it between its northern and southern gates, more than 200 miles apart, it required the unrolling of 4,830 miles of barbed wire. Some 110,000 head of cattle were grazing on the grass. The State of Texas gave the entire land to a Chicago-based company specializing in large investments. In exchange, the Illinois company agreed to build the Austin capitol.